I had thought long and hard on where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do, and what decision I would make at the hair graying age of 17 that would forever determine my future. 

For background, my name is Julia Thienvanich, and I am currently a senior attending iUniversity Prep. iUP is an online school for residents in Texas that I have been attending since COVID, so about 5 years now. When I say I attend online school, I get many, many comments and looks. A lot of people aren’t familiar with the alien concept of “virtual school” and associate it with COVID. I don’t blame them. Before attending iUP, I didn’t know what virtual school was either. 

Throughout my high school career, I was quite wishy-washy on if I wanted to go back and attend a brick-and-mortar school. I always thought, “Am I missing out on the high school experience?” However, as I approach my senior year I realize that there is nothing I am missing out on and not a single thing I regret. 

“Six of one, half dozen of the other.” I was told this on a Google Meets meeting with my tutor of 5 years. I had practically grown up with her, and to me she was family. She made the weekly meetings more bearable and math fun. I would spend almost every week during the school year with her, except for the times we would both forget we had class. I respected and looked up to her more than she could ever know. We got along like bread and butter. It wasn’t 12th grade me who was asking her for college advice but rather 7th grade me. We always discussed how we would have so much time to practice for the SAT, and it seems as if time has flown by in the blink of an eye. 

During this meeting, she gave me a lot of great advice, but my main takeaway was a quote she told me that I will forever remember: “Six of one, half dozen of the other.” There is no right or wrong path. There is not one winning choice. Both options have 6 eggs or ½ a dozen. Both choices have advantages. It’s just about what you’re looking for. This whole time I was looking for a clear winner, an option that had no cons. However, I came to the realization that I had to choose the option that was best for me. Which option had the 6 eggs I wanted? No wonder it was so hard for me to make a choice: both options had great advantages that I didn’t want to give up. She also told me that I had so many choices: I could transfer, study abroad, or dorm. “Take your time and decide what you want, and don’t have so much anxiety over this situation” she reminded me. This one choice won’t ruin your life, unlike what it may seem like. 

So, to any students out there stressing about college and the inevitable future, this is my advice. 

1. DON’T STRESS!

This is the most important takeaway from this article, and it is the best piece of advice I can give: don’t stress out. It is great that you care about your future and put a lot of emphasis on it. However, stressing yourself out won’t make things better. I understand that this is a pivotal decision and you think it affects your entire future. As long as you do what you think is best for YOU, I promise you will be okay. This one choice won’t ruin your life. 

       2. DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU

I know I said that not stressing is the best advice I could give, but this is also up there with the best advice I have. Make YOUR choice based on what YOU want. Obviously make an educated and informed choice, but do what is best for YOU. You know yourself better than anyone. Don’t let other people’s negative opinions stop you from doing you. You don’t want to look back and wish you would have taken a chance but didn’t because someone thought a certain way about it. It’s your life my friend, do what you think is best for you, and everything will be okay. 

        3. ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS

Make sure to ask yourself questions, so you can see what you want. It is important to keep in mind what your needs are, and what are some “make or break” things. Here are some questions you could ask: 

• Do I want to dorm? 
• Do I want to go out of state? 
• Where do I want to live (hot or cold)? 
• What is my budget? 
• Can I get scholarship money? 
• Does my school offer scholarships catered to me or my major? 
• What’s transportation and parking like? 

        4. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH

Make decisions based on logical choices. Choose a college that’s good for your program, in your budget, and somewhere you can see yourself going. Ask people about their experiences with that college and what they did and didn’t like to gauge a better understanding. Make sure to take people’s advice with a grain of salt since their experience might be different from yours. However, it is always good to hear from another perspective! 

College is truly a personal journey where there is no right or wrong path. It is normal and completely okay to be stressed out and not have all the answers right away. Whether you go out of state, stay local, or study abroad, college is what you make of it. So, choose the choice that feels right to you. This decision is one of a million that you will have to make throughout your lifetime, and while it is overwhelming, it is a part of your journey. Whatever choice you make, as long as it is made with care, everything will be okay!